Public schools serve 90 percent of America’s schoolchildren. By law, they are open to all, regardless of race, religion, economic status, gender, disability, etc. The men and women who work in our public schools can’t be fired for capricious reasons such as being the “wrong” religion or failure to adhere to religious tenets.

The Washington, D.C., voucher program, pushed by right-wing groups like the Heritage Foundation, was approved by Congress in 2004. It was supposed to be a five-year experiment, but it keeps getting reauthorized – even though studies show it has not boosted student achievement.

Many state constitutions have church-state language that is much more explicit than the First Amendment and flatly bars the diversion of tax money to religious schools. Americans United and its allies have used those provisions to invalidate voucher plans in several states.